The Unit

I hope she stays. She's attractive, she's intelligent, she's professional and certainly is no nonsense. She gives the show another dimension.

oldfritz wrote:

Nisha, what you and others fail to realize, through no fault of your own, is that there are women at certain US military units who provide tactical support of varying kinds down range. That is what this character does and I think it's a good thing this is depicted.

I do agree though, it would be nice for a little more character development of the lady ops NCO.

Oldfritz sends.

hua tacticalcity - thanks for the explanation - although long! I thought that I was going to have to explain about SOC here but thanks to you I only have to type this short thank you. Thank you sir...

lawyerchik1 wrote:

That is entirely consistent with Red Cap's function with respect to the rest of the team - and so far, she seems to have properly fulfilled the duties of her position. It would be weirder if there wasn't someone in her position - because then, who would do those things and be a consistent support of the overall objective of the Unit?

Agreed/seconded. I found this description of the "warrant officer" rank online:

Interestingly enough, as a Warrant Officer 1 (WO-1) Red Cap actually outranks Sergeant Major Jonas Blane. Likewise, Red Cap and Jonas are both outranked by 2nd Lieutenant Betsy Blane. However, it would be extremely foolish of either lady to presume to give the Top orders relative to an operational mission. You may also find it interesting that senior NCO's usually make more money than WO-1. As a result, the Navy has discontinued the rank of WO1 and only has CWO2-5 among their ranks. The Air Force discontinued all Warrant Officer ratings in 1957.

Warrant Officer 1 is an officer who is appointed by the Secretary of the relevant service (i.e. Army, Navy) and serves via "warrant" rather than "commission". However, Chief Warrant Officers (CWO-2-5) are granted commissions by the President and take the same oath as regular "commissioned officers". However, even a CWO-5 is outranked by the any commissioned officer (i.e. even a lowly 2nd Lt.).

Historically, warrant officer ratings were based on the structure of the British Royal Navy which allowed for non officers to perform the function of officers based on a warrant (which was more like an honorary officer). At that time (circa 1775) there was a distinct difference separating Officers from Warrant Officers. Commissioned Officers were "Officers and Gentlemen". Warrant Officers, being able to be appointed from the "lower classes" were not granted the title of "Gentleman" as part of their Warrant. The issue of "Officer and Gentlewoman" did not exist at that time.

Warrant ratings are usually a single path technical expert type of position. Many Army helicopter pilots are Warrant Officers and they are ususally very experienced and damn good. To give one specific example, a chap named Mike Durant was the pilot of Blackhawk Super Six Four, which was one of two Blackhawks shot down during the Battle of Mogidishu in 1993. He and his co-pilot were both Chief Warrant Officers from the 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment). BTW, two D-boys were awarded the Medal of Honor postumously for their valiant defense of the crew of Super Six Four.

As has been pointed out, while Warrant Officers typically serve as advisers or specialists, they can and do command units or provide support in the field. Intelligence and Battle Field prep are two functions where women almost certainly play some part in real military operations. Their primary roles are not those of "shooters" but that doesn't mean that they can't shoot. It also doesn't mean that they are comic book heroines, like GI Jane. Like their male colleagues, they are serious dedicated professionals doing a difficult and dangerous job.

Of course the writers have been deliberately vague about Red Cap's previous command, not wanting to be tied down too much by reality. There are also references to working for/with DoD. I really love that one since all military departments, except the Coast Guard, are a part of the DoD. The Unified Commanders report directly to the Secretary of Defense and do not report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the Secretaries of Army, Navy, or Air Force on issues regarding operations (e.g. Gen Colin Powell was not Gen Norman Schwartzkopf's boss).

So, all military departments are part of DoD. However, the Unit members refer to DoD like it is a different organization, and in a bureaucratic sense it really is. However, they are so intermingled it's impossible to adequately describe the relationship unless you work in it. BTW, the Director of the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) is an active duty Lieutenant General and approximately 35% of DIA employees are active duty military.

So, how did Red Cap wind up working with/for DoD (DIA)? There are a small number of WO MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) that might apply to her circumstances. MOS 180A is a Special Forces WO, however that's not open to women, so we can rule it out. Most probable (pure speculation actually) is MOS 351L ( CounterIntelligence Techinican ). These soldiers can engage in actual intelligence collection operations and combat experience is a plus but not required. They may also represent the Army in investigations/operations with DOD, DOJ, or other Federal, State or Local agencies.

Personally, I don't care that much for Red Cap as a character, but the program has at least kept her activities reasonably realistic, IMO.

Sniper, your second to last paragraph is on the right track. Most WOs (with the exception of the aviators), are promoted from the enlisted ranks (typically experienced and proficient NCOs), and there are lady CI and HUMINT specialists in the Army. Typically, when one refers to someone working for DOD, the implication is that they are at the department or agency level and not working directly for one of the service branches.

But, after seeing how the storyline with Whiplash is developing, I unfortunately predict Red Cap is short lived. Pure speculation on my part, but I predict that Whiplash is deep cover to infiltrate the bad guys. My guess is only COL Ryan and maybe Snake Doctor know. That would explain the tension in the closing scene in the team bar between Snake Doctor, Cool Breeze, and Red Cap a few episodes ago- Snake Doctor knows they just pulled a fake rape attempt on Red Cap,who has become a de facto member of the team, and it's a horribly shitty thing to do to a valued team member to accomplish the mission. I predict when the truth comes out, it will lead to her leaving the unit. Note, Ms. Steinwedell is still credited as a guest star. I hope I'm wrong b/c I like her character better than Whiplash, but...my two cents.

Oldfritz sends.

I read that Nicole is a military brat so she has probably lived in quite a few places.

I am an older female and think her character is a welcome addition to The Unit, could make for some very interesting story lines if written by someone with military saavy and experience. And by the way, for those of you who claim there are no women in U.S. special forces...wow, you need to do some serious brushing up on reality! Believe me, you are talking to the wrong people if that's what you think. The women in special forces, while relatively few, are in deep, deep, deep cover...but they are definitely out there!